This document outlines a lesson plan to teach students addition through counting groups of objects. The lesson begins by introducing classroom puppets and counting how many each student holds, then combining the groups. Stories are used to present addition word problems using cut-out objects like teddy bears. Finally, students practice combining Unifix blocks in groups, counting each group and the total, and creating their own addition stories up to 10. The goal is for students to understand and represent addition as combining groups and counting all items.

2. Name: Date: Year Level:
Content strand(s) with corresponding Sub-Strand(s):
Number and Algebra - Number and place value
Content Description(s) with corresponding Elaboration(s):
Represent and solve simple addition and subtraction problems using a range of strategies including counting on, partitioning and rearranging parts
developing a range of mental strategies for addition and subtraction problems
Students’ Prerequisite knowledge / understanding / concepts / skills:
ability to count to ten; understanding of one to one correspondence; stable order; cardinality of numbers; order irrelevance; knowledge of
left and right
Time Teaching / Learning Strategies Organisation Resources
Specific Learning Req.
Outcomes for this Lesson
Orientating Phase / Introduction
Students should be able 7 min Introduce the students to each of the classroom puppets using Students on Puppets,
to funny voices and actions (9 puppets in total). Have two carpet facing blocks, Lego,
Students should be able students come up to the front to hold some of the puppets (give whiteboard and lollies, pencils,
to count two groups of 4 to one student and 5 to the other). Ask the students how teacher. books,
items and put them many puppets the first student is holding. “Let’s count!” Ask crayons, other
together to count the the students how many puppets the second student is holding. toys. etc.
number of items “Let’s count!” Ask the students how we can work out how many from around
altogether. Students puppets there are altogether. Move the two students next to the classroom
should be able to solve each other. “Let’s count!”
simple addition problems Continue this exercise using various items around the classroom
up to 10 by counting (blocks, Lego, lollies, pencils, books, crayons, other toys. etc.).
groups and putting them For example, “How many crayons does Student A have? Let’s
together. count! How many crayons does Student B have? Let’s count!
How many crayons do Student A and Student A have
altogether? How can we work it out? Let’s count!”

3. Enhancing Phase / Body
11 Students on Whiteboard
Students should be able min Create stories to present problems to students. “Today we’re carpet facing Whiteboard
to having our Teddy Bear Picnic at lunch time. I have three picnic whiteboard and markers
blankets here on the board, one for Junior Green teddy bears, teacher. Picture cut-
Students should be able one for Junior Purple teddy bears, and one for all of the teddy outs (teddy
to understand the process bears from both classes. Call three Junior ZGreen students to bears, birds,
of creating a number the front to each Blu-Tack a teddy bear cut-out on their picnic frogs etc.)
story for addition blanket. Ask the students “How many teddy bears are there on Cardboard
(putting the parts each blanket. Let’s count!” Tell the students “Since Junior shape cut-outs
together to find out how Green and Junior Purple usually do everything together, I think – 2 small, 1
many altogether) we should put all of the teddy bears on the same picnic blanket big (picnic
– here’s a big blanket to fit all of the teddy bears.” Have the blankets,
students come up to move the teddy bears to the new blanket. trees, lily
Ask, “How can we work out how many teddy bears Junior Green pads)
and Junior Purple have altogether?” “Let’s count!” Make other Blu-Tack
number stories using the teddy bears by allowing students to
choose the number of teddy bears on each blanket and other
numbers stories using different objects (e.g. two families of
birds in trees in my backyard, frogs on two lily pads, etc.)

4. Synthesising Phase / Conclusion
7 min Give each student a set of ten Unifix blocks. Have students Students on Unifix blocks
Students should be able separate the blocks so that they have ten single blocks in front carpet facing grouped by
to of them. whiteboard and tens for each
Students should be able “I have 3 blocks in my left hand. Everyone click 3 blocks teacher. student
to put two groups together and hold them in your left hand. Hold them up in the Dice
together to make one air to show me. I have 4 blocks in my right hand. Everyone
larger group and count to click 4 blocks together and hold them in your right hand. Show
find out how many there me. Now, how many blocks do we have in our left hands? How
are altogether. many blocks do we have in our right hands? Click the blocks
Students should be able together. How many blocks do we have altogether? How can
to create addition number we work it out? Let’s count!”
stories up to 10. Repeat this exercise using different number combinations adding
up to 10. Allow different students to choose the number of
blocks in each hand, or roll dice to determine the number of
blocks in each hand. Have two students come up to the front
of the class holding 1 to 5 blocks clicked together. Have the
class count how many blocks each student has, and then ask the
two students to click their blocks together. Have class count
the number of blocks altogether.
(There are many variations that could be created from this
exercise.)
Assessment Strategies (link to Learning Outcomes): What’s next? Where to from this lesson?
Observation of student responses
Observation of student responses
Observation of student responses and actions with the Unifix blocks
(walk around and observe from the front of the calss)